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"Hyah!" The girl cried in effort as she deflected the heavy axe stroke. The minotaur was relentless. It swung its axe at her with careless abandon. She was barely able to deflect the weapon.
The girl seemed to be young...only about 15 or 16. She had long brown hair and soft golden eyes which seemed to glow as if lit from within. She swung her sword up in a glowing blue arc, parrying with a sword skill. That parry managed to stun the minotaur, who fell over.
She took the chance...jumping up and slicing down. The minotaurs head separated from it's body. She shewthed her sword and carried on.
Her name...? Her name would be legendary one day. It would ring through this virtual world...through every single one...for years. Her name was Chloe Kayaba. She was a queen among murderers...a virtual god among video gamers and geniuses alike, she was unmatched in strength and knowledge.
And she was stuck...in a death game with 10,000 people...which her own uncle had made.
Now there were only 7,728 left.
It had been three months.
3 Months Ago:
The 15 year old girl hummed as she wandered through the streets, viewing her Uncle's new videogame. "Impressive..." She said to herself. The girl passed dozens of other people, each either admiring the view, or trying to play the game for themselves. She simply kept on walking.
Chloe was a genius like her uncle, but painfully shy. She preffered the company of only herself...and liked talking to people through a computer screen rather than face to face. Her Uncle had made a present of the game to her for her fifteenth birthday, after remembering how she liked videogames so much. He even let her beta test it.
That was his mistake.
Chloe had had nothing to do but play the game, as her summer vacation had just started. She cleared floor after floor, progressing almost faster than her Uncle and his programmers could program in new things. She had made it to the 48th floor in just 3 months.
But it was supposed to be a lot harder this time around. It had been set to the easiest possible setting so that beta testers could actually test everything. Now...it was on the hardest setting. Her Uncle had even told her each AI could learn, and that the game could essentially program and expand itself after being given its final programming.
Chloe sighed and walked out of the boundary. She had no interest in remaining in the safe zone much longer. She drew her sword. It was crude, and inelegant...but it would serve her purposes for today...killing boars. She swung her sword, getting the feel of the blade.
"Hey Chloe. There you are." The girl turned around and nodded "Hello Kirito." She said quietly to the tall boy. He grinned and said "I brought along some luggage. I hope you don't mind." Chloe looked behind him. A red haired man was standing, catching his breath. He panted out "I'm...Klein..." He looked up and blinked before asking "Wait...who are you?"
Chloe didn't respond and he asked Kirito "Is she alright?" Kirito nodded and said "Yeah. Shes just a little shy. Give her a bit of time." Klein nodded and pointed "Oh look!" Chloe and Kirito but turned just as two boars appeared. Kirito looked at Chloe "Wanna go ahead? Or should we take a shot."
Chloe shrugged and spun her sword in a lazy arc before running forwards. Her blade shimmered under the virtual sun as the boar turned and snorted. It charged her, screeching. Chloe smirked before backflipping over the boar, slicing it in half as she spun in the air.
"Holy..." Klein whispered "Did that just..." Kirito rolled his eyes "Of course Chloe. Only you." The other boar had been aggroed by the attack so Kirito pushed Klein forward "Alright...you saw the girl. Attack." Klein, to his credit, quickly recovered and drew his curved blade. He yelled and ran forwards, slashing this way and that.
Only to be skewered in the balls. He fell to the ground, screaming. Chloe giggled a little and Kirito laughed "Dude. You can't feel pain in this world." Klein stopped his screaming sheepishly "Oh. Right." He got back up and tried again, only for the same result. His health was now in the lower green area.
Kirito shook his head "Why don't you use your sword skills?" He asked and Klein looked at him "Sword...what?" Kirito facepalmed and picked up a pebble. He reared his arm back and began explaining "Sword skills are basically system-assisted attacks. They rarely miss. Just get into position and wait for the skill to charge."
As he spoke the pebble turned yellow. Klein watched in awe as Kirito finished "And when it feels right...let it go!" He stepped forward and threw the rock. It flashed through the air, flying straight into the boar. It screeched and fell over, it's health depleting about halfway.
Klein looked at the rock before running over and picking it up "This is a godly rock!" He declared and Kirito facepalmed. Chloe looked at her sword and hid a smile. Kirito said "Anyways...your turn. Just put the sword into whatever position feels right...and swing."
Klein nodded " Got it!" He raised his sword over his head. The boar charged Kirito and he kicked it towards Klein. Unperturbed, the boar simply kept on going. Klein's sword began to glow with a reddish aura and he ran forwards and slashed down.
"HYAAAAAH!" He slashed downwards, cleaving the boar in two. It shattered and the white victory screen appeared in front of Klein.
"Oh yeah!" He fistpumped. Chloe smiled and said quietly to Kirito "I'm gonna go on ahead now." Kirito nodded "Sure. I'll see ya around Chloe." Klein turned around "Leaving so soon?" He smiled and Chloe nodded "I'd like to get a headstart on hunting...and killing boards won't give me much XP. They're roughly the equivalent of a slime in other games."
Klein's face dropped "What? That thing wasn't like a mid-level boss?!" Kirito laughed "Not a chance. Hey Chloe are you gonna go for the Anneal Blade?" Chloe shook her head "It's all yours this time." She nodded to Klein and walked off.
After a few hundred steps she encountered the next mob. This one was pretty easy as well, a simple wolf. But they hunted in packs. Chloe drew her blade just as the others began to appear. The first wolf snarled and leapt for Chloe. She spun out of the way and slashed downwards, slicing off about a third of the wolf's health.
"Man...when I first played this...a single slash would kill them." She mused before bringing her sword back up. The second wolf leaped for her and she ducked under before decapitating the wolf. This time it shattered into shards of light. "But apparently they'll still die if you take off their head." She grimaced as the first wolf snarled and leaped again.
With a gasp of effort she dodged to the side, just in time to block another wolf. These AIs were smart. They were programmed to hunt in packs, and take advantage of even minor openings. Chloe pushed the wolf away and slashed out as the fourth and final wolf leaped for her.
She thrust her sword out straight through the wolf's mouth. It's head peeled apart and shattered. Chloe faced the other two. The first wolf was still injured, but the third was in prime condition. It shielded its wounded ally and snarled. Chloe had taken no damage, but she didn't want to prolong the fight much longer. She was growing tired already.
She ran forwards, slashing twice across the third wolf. It's health bar depleted to the lower red zone. Chloe whirled and threw her sword in a flashing arc of steel. It implanted itself in the first wolf's side. The extra force behind the throw was enough to kill the wolf, sending it to oblivion with it's companions. Chloe walked over and caught her sword as it fell.
She turned to the third wolf. "These really are harder to kill..." She said and raised her sword. The wolf was snarling and seemed to be surrounded by a dark reddish aura. Its fur darkened and its eyes flashed yellow as it howled. The sound was grating to Chloe's ears and she winced.
"Oh...oh that is so not fair." She complained as two more wolf mobs appeared behind it. The original wolf snarled and charged her. She tried to parry but the wolf leaped on her and forced her down with its weight. It snapped it's jaws and Chloe screamed as it bit down hard on her shoulder. It hurt. A lot.
She shoved the wolf off with all her strength and held her shoulder. Injuries glowed red and she held her shoulder. "Wait...why does it hurt...?" She suddenly thought. The pain setting was supposed to be set to zero but this...
She was brought out of her musings when the two new wolves recklessly barreled towards her. She yelped and swing blindly out, her sword flashing.
Due to sheer luck, she managed to kill both wolves. She was now only facing the dark wolf. She hissed in annoyance and brought her sword back. It glowed with blueish light and she ran forwards. With whatever infinite grace she possessed, she flipped over the wolf. Her sword flashed out thrice, creating a triangle of blue light. The wolf collapsed to the ground, and shattered.
Chloe sighed and sat down as her status appeared
«Congratulations, you have defeated: »
«Wolf Eater x3»
«Wolf Eater(Enraged) x1»
«Wolf Eater Spawn x2»
«Gain 390 XP»
«Congratulations, you have leveled up! You are now level 2!»
«Congratulations, you have leveled up! You are now level 3!»
«Gain: 10 Pts.»
«Loot:»
1829 Col
«Wolf Hide x5»
«Black Wolf Hide x1»
«Wolf Claw x7»
«Wolf Tooth x1»
She hummed and closed her menu, satisfied. Suddenly a bright light surrounded her. She hissed as she was suddenly teleported back to the main plaza. She immediately wondered aloud "A forced teleport...?" She shrugged, not thinking much of it. This was probably just Kayaba welcoming everyone to the game. He had done it during the beta.
She hummed and sat down, thinking over what she would have to buy now that she was in the town. She could do with a better sword, and maybe some leather armor, but that might cut down on her speed. She would also need some potions, and a teleport crystal.
A flash of light and a peal of thunder roared across the clear sky. Everyone flinched as a massive winged being appeared before them. It had a golden sword on its back and it's cowled white hood shadowed its face. Chloe whistled softly. The thing was massive. It spoke "Hello."
Chloe hummed and walked to the edge of what she knew was the boundary that would keep all the players there until the end of the speech.
"My name...is Akihiko Kayaba. I am the creator of this game, and am currently the only one in charge of it."
Chloe yawned. Her uncle could be so dramatic.
"Now. Some of you may have noticed that your logout button has gone missing from the menu...please do not worry. I assure you, this is no defect or mistake. This is an essential part of Sword Art Online."
Chloe looked up at that. "What?" She asked herself. Logout buttons were essential. There was no way to disconnect the nervegear from the body unless you logged out or unless someone else pulled the set off of you. Her mind began to race through possibilities.
"All 10,000 of you can not log out until you complete the game." Kayaba let those word sink in. "In other words...unless you can clear all 100 floors of Aincrad and defeat the final boss...you will all be stuck here."
This is where the screaming began. The people began to riot, trying to reason, plead, threaten...anything to escape. Chloe simply sat at the edge, trying to remain out of the way of the mob.
Kayaba continued "If an outside source attempts to remove the Nervegear, the helmet will send a high powered microwave signal through the upper skull, frying your brain...and ending your life." Everyone grew silent, their eyes widening. "Warnings were posted, however several families refused to listen."
The being waved his hand and pictures appeared. "As a result, 76 players have now died, in game...and in life." He paused before starting "Also...all forms of revival, whether through crystals, potions, or any other source...are now invalid. In addition to this...if your avatar should die in game, 30 seconds later...the Nervegear will send a microwave through your upper skull, and terminating you."
Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this really her uncle? The man who taught her to read and write? Who babysitted her for years? Was this...cold-hearted murderer...really the kind uncle she had always loved?
Kayaba continued "However...medical care is currently being provided to everyone in SAO. All expenses are paid, and only the best of care will be given to your material bodies...so as to prevent you from worrying about it. Simply play the game, and win. This world is your reality now...to prove it, I have a present for all of you...if you will look into your inventories."
Chloe opened hers and pulled out a mirror. She stared into it...but nothing seemed to change. All around her flashes of light were appearing, and people were changing their appearance. Was it random? She looked around.
No...she realized. This is what the people looked like in real life. She had been too lazy to create an avatar, and the game had offered to simply base one off of her appearance. She looked back into the mirror. Yes she could see the minor changes now. Her eyes had changed back to their soft golden colour, and her features had softened.
She frowned as Kayaba finished "This concludes the tutorial. I wish you good luck." The being and barrier vanished.
Silence reigned...
...
...until a girl screamed "Nooo!"
And chaos erupted. Chloe ducked under the flailing arms of one man and ran towards the exit. There was no point in staying. The second town offered more lucrative farming and quests. She only stopped to buy a stronger sword before running out towards the second town.
"I will not die today." She said to herself.
"I will not die here."
Thaat's it. This is sort of a side project while I get an actual story out...but uh...tell me how you like it in a review if you have the time. Thanks.
